Another Crisis
by Reinforce IV
Summary: In the aftermath of Zarathustra's collapse and the destruction of a parallel, a lone soul awakens with no memories in her wandering mind. Jumping at the call, she takes a silent bible with her and confronts the key to all gates.
1. Another Chance

Commentary: 1st chapter in. This will be a KOS-MOS centric multi-chaptered story, companion piece/"alternate universe" to my oneshot "At the End of Her Road". Expect the first few chapters to be rather fast paced, but not too terribly fast, since this story will take off into the plans I have for it. At least I hope.

Summary: She wakes up in a world not unlike her own, yet feels disturbed at this. She remembers having a deeply melancholic memory, yet can not recall anything. With drive and a silent bible to guide her, the angel steps forth to confront the key to all gates.

Author Reinforce Vier presents...

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><p><strong>Another Crisis<strong>

I: Another Chance

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><p>Destiny's a bitch, isn't it?<p>

It always happens to the most unluckiest of souls. Usually the pure hearted ones who simply want to be normal. They go off into the world, with a lucky smile on their face. Then they get used up. Or dead. Which ever comes first. Alone, everything shall kill you. It's not an opinion, it's a simple fact. Cold hard fact. If any soul in any world or even any universe, is alone, they will eventually die. That is... how nature works.

Even for an artificial creation. Whom previously was a god in a past life.

The dusty streets, the dim glows, the night lights, musty arid air... all humid and dry at the same time. A faint remembrance of a gentle loving touch and kindred gazes, both from family and significant others. The snap of a simple roll as it bursts it's juices into the mouth. The rites and rituals of ancients past. The rough edged walls of mortar and dirt. Moments like those... as life, past, present, and future. Moments...which were supposed to be forever.

Things...went south after those years.

_"I guess both you and I still exist in this world, after all. As long as people, as long as the universe desires it, we will continue to exist. We haven't finished what we have to do yet. So, until then, sleep well, KOS-MOS."_

Slept well indeed.

xvx

Vague distant voices. Some were warped beyond translation. Some were simply too distant to hear. Others seemed to be muted to the point of just noise. It troubled the already uncertain emotions deeply locked within. They were human voices but most were unrecognizable, just a dim strange feeling. Struggling to at least recognize one, dim weak senses focused, overclocking to the limit as a dying shell would allow. A soft voice, almost motherly and caring, was picked up.

_Good morning, KOS-MOS..._

Then there was a slight jolt, as if something had electrified flesh and bone. The jolt ripped throughout the synapses, overloading them on purpose to restart everything. The intense feeling of sweet shock only lasted for a second before dying quickly as it had come, replaced by heavy murmurs and caress of a cold icy embrace. Lids halfway shut in darkness before the jolting shock came suddenly again, this time centered in a fading core. As before, it spread outward before returning again, fading away once more. Just when a hazed unfocused mind was about to decide it wanted no more, the eerie muffled silence picked up a single strange warped thump. Followed by another and another.

A heartbeat?

Then the third and final shock came, slamming into the brokenness like a car crashing into a concrete wall. Like a virus, it aggressively invaded into a weakened center core, a hard impact felt like someone akin to kicking a car to start it up. That impact was soon replaced by a deep internal shock and incredible warmth, rapidly filling the synapses with adrenaline never felt before. Racks and trembling was followed by violent expels, the sudden restart giving an overload that needed to be dumped. What had previously been muffled faded and dreary was replaced by a blinding white light. A few heartbeats resounded to the side and then, she could see again.

Opened eyes saw nothing but the non-existent roof of an industrial building, the endless melancholic blue and the bright white sun telling her a warm hello. Something that would be close to described as "pleasant" cast over most of her prone body and something else told her it was sunlight rays with the temperature of eighty-five degrees. A feeling versus a statistic. Like a newborn, a hazy mind truly did not know what to feel. All that she felt as if she truly knew was that something was rooted deeply inside her, like a black box unable to be accessed. As if...

...Mind still fuzzy, she failed to draw a single logical conclusion.

It bothered her.

Well, it wasn't as if things were not going to get any worse. With that simple reassurance, the girl picked herself up from the floor, feeling a soft jump in energy which she thought had not existed. And for some odd reason...

Did her vision just static a pinch at the corner there?

"Welcome back, sir."

A silent gasp of shock at the unknown voice. She whirled her head side, hair whipping the naked skin of her shoulders, scanning for a source the voice had come from. But she could find none.

Her breathing quickened in pace, adrenaline levels slowly filling as her senses started to become more acute, sensitive to her very empty surroundings. Her vision picked up blood on the floor, the decrypt foundation and walls of the building as it would slowly crumble from old age, a metal slab which appeared to be an operating table...

Was that a gun on the floor?

"I'm inside you sir. Your head to be exact."

Head...inside what?

A mouth she had never known existed opened to give a shout, a noise, anything to express her displeasure.

She found that she could not.

Surprised at the lack of something which sound have come naturally, she tried again to make a shout.

Nothing.

A hand gently lifted to her lips, fingers brushing against the soft flesh, in complete utter disbelief. Nothing, there was absolutely nothing she could feel inside her neck. An airway to breathe yes, a throat to eat with, but not the other vital parts which she KNEW was normal anatomy of a human being. It just...

Was not there.

Slowly, but surely and with no choice whatsoever, the girl realized the awful truth.

She was mute.

xvx

"In 4770, we unleashed a weapon that changed the face of warfare..."

MOMO Mizrahi knew something was deeply wrong once as soon as the advertisement announced it's intentions. For one, it stated the date that their long lost friend was rebuilt. Two, Vector Industries was sure to put all their trademarks on everything to ensure it was theirs. They were a mega-corporation, it was impossible for any competition to trump them.

"Forever."

Three, so-called "CryNet Systems" had what looked to be a redone Vector logo. It stylized in two sideways Ys, but the offset location of the two halves and tail ends were unmistakeable.

"Now, CryNet Systems is proud to announce..."

The first probable thought which MOMO concluded was that perhaps CryNet Systems was a shell company of Vector, meant for the highly advanced private military contractors and government levels. It was most likely they had subsidiaries all over the universe and-

"...The Next generation of modern warfighter."

But that thought and other options were shot down as she remembered the UMN network had been destroyed some four years ago. Never much less the still-in-development MOMO Net.

At least they never told the name of their product.

"KOS-MOS D 2."

...What...?

Her full undivided attention then was focused upon the holo-screen, sensors already scanning for full details. Recording and double, no triple checking, for any errors. In less than the tenth of a second, she had already gone over one hundred replays of the advertisement mentally, trying to detect any lie. Numbers and statistics were calculating in her head, computing and coming to the same conclusion at ninety five percent.

This was real.

Shocked at the reveal, MOMO was dumbstruck as she instantaneously recognized the contours and delicate features of her long gone friend. The smoothed cream skin, the drab blacks and pure whites of her attire, the armored sections of her exposed spine. They had even gotten her headgear spot on, with her name fully visible.

"Adapt. Engage. Survive. Generations ahead of it's time."

It was then the hand moved and experimentally clenched; MOMO could see the hexagonal shaped patterns her gloves displayed. Her friend had not those in person, she knew that much. It provided the Realian with a small sense of comfort at least.

"Victory comes as standard."

At that statement, she could not help but smile as a memory resurfaced. Remembrance was precious to her and she was thankful for it as she imagined their friend pulling off moves the rest of their team could only dream of. Despite the lack of emotions at times, she had never given up nor backed down from a fight. Always striving to protect them, against impossible odds. Even against the divine.

"A military tour de force."

The ad then panned it's camera to the six of the angel, slightly zooming out as it did so. MOMO watched the rest of the ad through as the angel turned slightly to the left, one eye looking over her shoulder. Like a true badass.

For a second, MOMO was sure she saw her smirk.

xvx

She was mute.

Mute. A person who never would talk. Because they couldn't talk.

At this sudden revelation, her heart beat spiked to levels which she was sure if she had weak myopic muscles and synapses, it would have lead to cardiac arrest. While normally, a sane person would have panicked and gripped their head in futile hope that this was not real, she instead felt unnaturally numb at the voice inside her and her own lack of voice. A sudden and very unexpected shock, but one that she instinctively knew she would have to deal with.

Especially if she wanted to survive.

For an odd strange pleasing reason, she felt as if she knew this voice inside her. Or rather, had known before and became extremely close with.

It spoke again. "Sir? Can't...you remember?"

Remember? Just remember what? What was there to remember when her body and mind had suddenly found itself in a creepy old abandoned building in perhaps the middle of nowhere? She had feelings of a faint remembrance, yes, however strange it was, but as for any actual memory?

The girl shook her head.

"Oh..."

Was that... disappointment? Perhaps sadness?

As quickly as it had expressed it, the negative was swiftly covered up with a slight nervous chuckle.

"So the circle of flow has turned once more, I see..."

At this, the girl made a lost expression. Confused at the choice of wording, she furrowed her eyebrows, lips turning into a displeased pout. Choosing not to question it for now, she waited for the next lines the voice in her head would say. She did not have to wait even a second as it introduced itself to her.

"My designation officially by schematics is SECOND AI. Semi-Autonomous Enhanced Combat Ops: Neuro-integration Delivery. I am designed as a non-sentient information delivery Artificial Intelligence which can be used by CryNet System's KOS-MOS D 2 unit as a data storage, delivery, and transfer device that allows the unit to store data within the brain, and stream data directly into the brain in snap-quick real time. Because I am required to link up with the brain, I can store a nearly infinite amount of room for a myriad of valuable data such as video links, blueprints, audio files - that is music or recordings if you do not know - and I am required by bond to regulate all of KOS-MOS D 2 functions. In short, I am your guardian in a sense."

It paused to patiently wait for a reply.

"Yes. You are KOS-MOS D 2. Rebuilt by CryNet Systems just recently in fact. Formerly, were built by now bankrupt Vector Industries some ten years ago. Your name is an acronym standing for "Kosmos Obey Strategical Multiple Operation Systems Driver 2". Originally built to combat Gnosis starfish aliens from outer space and beyond, at the time you were extremely logical and calculative, the most advanced system in the entire universe. Nothing could even match your power, not even close. You are _still_ the most advanced warfare combat system in the entire universe. You were activated in TC 4765, rebuilt in TC 4770 to regain your soul back. Shortly after this had happened, you denied some creepy pedophile dude in a business suit the universe's restart by crushing a necklace right in front of his face."

KOS-MOS was... floored.

"It was amazing, trust me."

Shock would not even register to her. Was... all of SECOND's crazy techno-babble true?

"Please KOS-MOS. I understand it's hard at first, but over time, you shall become a goddess once more. All over again."

Her heart pulsed slightly harder at the mention of SECOND's "All over again". She wasn't too sure if she could trust the voice, but instead of apprehension, she felt oddly at terms with herself. It was as if they both were long lost friends or something of that sort. Something she knew, but had yet to experience. At least, with SECOND.

Just... why were these feelings so familiar to her? Why couldn't she remember anything?

KOS-MOS could only give a small sigh. It was best to just simply go along with the flow and do what was told. After all, she was essentially alone in an unfamiliar world.

_"I don't want to be alone!"_

Her eyes widened significantly at the voice. That plead for help. The voice...it shocked her to her very core. In a moment, her heart went from pumping with adrenaline from techno to getting hit with what she could only describe as a sledgehammer to the chest. A dangerous flash of pain slammed into her, exiting out her spine and if it could, explode the wall behind her. Memories, unknown pleasures and pain of what could only be described as life, threatened to overload her and...

Just as quickly it was gone, replaced by a soothing warmth spreading throughout her entire body.

KOS-MOS was left wondering what had just happened when SECOND answered her.

"I just gave you a sedative to calm your heart and keep your adrenaline levels at optimal. The numbness you felt earlier at the shock of your muteness was also the same exact sedative. You just simply could not feel it because you were so shocked. With that, you have my deepest condolences to your disability."

At the mention of her muteness again, KOS-MOS gave a melancholic frown. Partly because she knew she was never going to talk in her lifetime, but mostly because of the sedative flowing in her bloodstream. At her dip, a warmth which could only be strong hand presented itself on the top of her head. She glanced up only to find air.

Was her AI...physically responsive to her emotions?

Bardiche's inner voice broke KOS-MOS out from her wandering thoughts.

"We can fight this."

Fight.

The girl had to agree. As bizarre as all of this was, she was not going to suddenly angst from a flashback or something of the sort. Or being mute. She had no time for that.

The AI gave what could be best described as a sigh.

"Deus Angst Machina not withstanding, please do give me a name KOS-MOS."

A name?

"Yes. A name. Since we are essentially bonded together as OS and AI, I serve as your guardian. It is my duty to keep you informed of all and any threats whom seek to harm you. It is my very words which shall keep you safe from harm. I swear by my very soul, as your protector, it is my oath above all. Until death do us part, my Lord."

KOS-MOS gave a soft silent giggle at that, her lips opened in a warm smile. So he was a knight huh? Well...

Her eyes closed as she thought of a name to give her partner.

With a memory she never knew, her arms waved about in an immaculate flourish, as if she presented a sword to her servant. Her straight hand held out in front of her face like a silent prayer, it slowly dipped down to meet the line a kneeling person's shoulder would be. Gently, she gave two imaginary taps set a foot apart. Opening her lips in words that would never be heard, she declared the official name of her partner.

"Name: Bardiche accepted. Registered to driver: KOS-MOS. Hello, KOS-MOS."

The girl gave a heartfelt smile. A bit melancholic was seeping into her heart, but that was okay. Even if she did have a past life, it was a new start for her this time around. Even if she couldn't talk, that would not stop her from living. And even if she had an insane adventure with previous lost friends, she would make up for every single one of her mistakes if she indeed met them again.

Maybe... she wouldn't be so alone after all.

_'Hello Bardiche.'_

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><p>Closing Notes: Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please don't worry so much about the sudden WHAM revelations in this chapter. It's all there in the manual anyways. As always, please do review and give out critique if there is critique to be needed. Bonus points and an extra something if you can figure out the shout-outs I have in this chapter. Thank you and I hope you enjoy this centric story.<p> 


	2. Legacy

Commentary: 2nd chapter in. By now, I'm pretty sure you've figured out what storyline the beginning will be like. Don't worry, it will pick up soon.

Summary: With a voice to comfort and guide her, she steps forth to confront the intimate world. But as soon as she touches cold metal from a decade ago, she immediately knows this would be some trip.

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><p><strong>Another Crisis<strong>

II: Legacy

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><p>She had known something was just plain wrong with the shiny pistol as soon as her fingers had laid upon it. A faint sharp rush of faded memories seeped into her forgetful mind and somehow, that feeling had screwed with her vision, distorting it and prisming certain parts of her vision. It was a massive interface screw and it practically distracted her from the memories, forcing the body to dump all reserves to keep it stable. But did that stop her from picking it up anyways?<p>

Not a chance in hell.

Feeling the cool sensation transfer from the metal grip to her gloved hand, curled fingers gave the pistol a firm experimental squeeze.

And then all went black as she experienced a mind which was not her own.

_"You have to..."_

Resounding heartbeats, steady and strong. Noise resounded inside her racing mind, diagnostics blinking all across her vision, coming to a rest as soon as she saw...

Her own hands? No. The left arm was lightly tanned, normal and human, complete with a ring bracelet which looked ancient. The right arm... was completely alien to her, yet familiar. A black arm glove covered her skin and what little was seen appeared a sickly snow white. The wrist was covered with a white gauntlet of careful design, as if the creator had... put delicate care into it. The hand turned to face the palm upwards and slowly, fingers clenched into a fist experimentally.

_"Welcome to the future son...welcome to the war."_

The next she knew, she was seeing the back of a figure, the sun in shining through the old dilapidated window blocking any identifying features from view. It spoke about one last wish, something about not letting go that easily. Symbiosis? A link?

The vision then warped to the very same pistol she had held a moment ago.

That... no. That person wasn't.

A rush of sinew bulging which she recognized as muscle tissue, blood flowing faster in response to something in the stream. A flash of nerve tissues, rushing directly into the brain and into a mind.

_"Gave you my life..."_

The voice spoke, desperate and pleading, for a promise. What words had come out next were warped, unclear to her still fuzzy mind. To... find someone? Find who?

She then saw a spatter of blood... next to her still body, now in the signature white attire. The sunlight had shined upon her body, illuminating it in a soft warmth. Making it appear more angelic than deceased.

She then saw the mysterious figure raise the pistol to it's head.

_"Remember me."_

The gunshot resounded and she was once more seeing the pistol in her hands, back to present times. Dumbstruck for a moment, she continuously gazed at the pistol, studying it's cold metal frame to get her mind off the unpleasant vision. The light white and blue hexagonal patterns upon the frame, emblazoned with two black ninety degree offset Ys near the solidly built hammer. Most likely the logo of CryNet Systems, her re-builder. A depressed cylinder just above the trigger confirmed the weapon was a revolver type, looking to be capable of holding six to seven rounds. The rest of the weapon was finished in dull matte black or drab grey. Nothing too fancy, but the unique frame gave it a pleasing aesthetic.

Setting the pistol aside a conveniently placed holo tag and reaching for the latter, her right hand brushed upon the stamped frame of the tags before her automated systems analyzed the tag. A moment later, the avatar and name of a person had displayed on her HUD.

She gave a silent gasp of surprise.

It was her own.

Quickly reading through her own biography, she expressed disappointment as she saw that much of her own biography schematics were completely blacked out, redacted to "Classified" status. The only odd clue she had was the fact she used to be a soldier for "Conglomerate, attached to the Vanguard of Hope". Giving a small sigh, she closed down the information to give a stare to the old dimmed tags. Absently, she bowed her head as she raised her arms up to place the tags around her neck, wearing the tags just as any soldier would.

It felt... vaguely comforting to her.

A sudden uneasy thought came to her mind right there.

If her integrated AI claimed that she was recently rebuilt by CryNet, then why did she have this flashback of someone claiming to have "given her life"? And even though the girl could not recall any memories, she knew from deep common sense it wasn't everyday that a military manufacturer dumped their top secret project into some abandoned building and leave it to rust. That would be absurd to waste billions of credits into a program, only to can it the day before public introduction.

Quickly, her systems ran a historic check and she almost reconsidered her previous thought. Almost. Perhaps she was rebuilt by a rogue scientist who wanted to give his or her creation life? Like the novella "Frankenstein"? That... could make sense, although it was extremely rare in this day and age for Project heads to go completely rogue and alone. First, projects were worked upon via a team effort. That ensured nobody was messing to sabotage anything, There were just too many security measures and fail-safes for a risked chance. Heads would roll as well and the political and economic structures would suffer from the loss of such a monumental project.

And just what was her own holo tags talking about?

CryNet Systems, Vector Industries, something to do with "giving her life". The Conglomerate and Vanguard of Hope; a ship perhaps? And an almost motherly "good morning". Fragments of so many pieces she could not put together.

Nothing... was making any sense.

"Sir."

Her AI's soothing voice shattered her adrift thoughts, instructing her to break a pad lock on the doors in front of her. Walking up to the doors, her free left hand gripped the large padlock holding the doors closed. Experimentally, she gave it a light tug before deciding to use maximum power. There was no resistance as she yanked with all her might. Confused, she looked upon the door handles to discover there wasn't much of any handles left. Had she just...

Her head turned to her left hand, which was still gripping the intact padlock and the now ripped out metal handles of the door which had been previously attached. Brushing aside a slight discomfort for now, she dropped the broken piece to the floor and reached for the pistol again. Fingers wrapped around the ergonomic grip as another hand tapped the cylinder to the right side, opening and revealing a single punched out shell. Curious, she pulled it out only to be disappointed by the expended brass case. Empty. She'd have to find ammunition for it. Somehow.

A slight foul stench had hit her nose, causing the girl to recoil a bit away from the doorway. Just what was in there to cause a nasty smell?

KOS-MOS stepped out and came face to face with cages of darkened mass lumps. And not a second later, her vision adjusted to give a clear view.

She wished that it had never happened.

These "lumps" were deceased bodies.

xvx

"That's... very concerning, MOMO."

"But Miyuki! I saw her! With my own eyes! Some company decided to-"

The former held out a hand to hush the latter. "Yes, I understand that. But the probability of some company having found her body is just next to impossible. Much less replicate the same exact technology to rebuild her."

The Realian gave a dis-satisfied pout toward the former Vector Industries scientist. Miyuki had never been too serious of anything these days lately, even after seeing what most people would classify as divine intervention. Just why the events from four years ago never mattered much to Miyuki stumped MOMO. To make things short, they had essentially stopped the entire universe from resetting. And decided to screw the time loop, they could make this work themselves.

But then again, thought the 100-series prototype, four years was enough to dull the eventful life the motley crew. Four years of trying to figure out a way to access hyperspace travel without the reality network they had all become so dependent on.

Four years without contact from their other separated friends.

"And in all honesty MOMO," continued Miyuki, "I'm sure Shion would somehow find out and go on a manhunt if that company decided to re-manufacture KOS-MOS."

Those words almost made MOMO take back what she thought earlier. Almost.

"We have the Dammerung, the proud capital headquarters ship of Vector Industries. There isn't a chance in hell that we will go up anytime soon."

MOMO forced herself to resist the temptation of rolling her eyes. Ironic on how Vector Industries was also the very same company that ordered the immediate termination of KOS-MOS herself, simply because another android had been built without governmental nor company approval. To drive the point home, T-elos had been built without a single supervision team. Rather, she had been constructed from the deceased remains of some holy being and kept in utmost secrecy from pretty much everyone except two people. If the chessmaster had not been CEO, MOMO knew Shion would have a good chance of having the T-elos Project trashed outright.

Leave it to Wilhelm and Kevin to make a top secret soul jar and give it public and company approval...

But Shion and team had won, and Wilhelm had lost. It was simple as that and now, it was up to them to somehow find a way for the universe to stop it's collapse.

Progress was steady, albeit a little slow.

Trying to ignore Miyuki's grandeur speech, MOMO decided to focus back upon her task at hand. Fiddling with the wiring under the panel, she started the slow task of rearranging the circuit to see if it would make a difference.

The discomforting thought of KOS-MOS never left the forefront of her mind.

xvx

KOS-MOS gasped for breath, taking in lungfuls of stale musty air mixed in with the slight sour scent of rotting bodies. Powerful legs sprinted across the dusty floor, armoured boots giving loud clacks with every step she took. Her entire being burned with a suffocating hotness, threatening to literally blind her. She knew she was running, but running from what?

Luminescent melted goo slammed into her mind, mixed with rotting deceased innards and tissue.

Oh. Oh oh oh...those- Oh gods. Those...those-

"System Override. Emergency dump initializing."

Bardiche.

KOS-MOS's eyes widened in slight shock as she immediately felt her body simply stop itself from running. With that loss of control, she felt her entire body collapse upon it's knees and her state of hysteria vanish outright, leaving her at a sudden loss. Like a puppet with strings, she felt her own being lose control, having relinquished itself to another power. It was disturbing to her in an odd way, yet she wasn't too surprised at this. She knew how to react, she even wanted to, but her body refused to co-operate. So the girl simply kneeled there, alone inside her lost and confused mind. An internal clock marked off one minute of utter silence before the voice inside her head spoke to her.

Actually, it outright snarked.

"If it's any possible sir, would you not panic at the sight of rotten bodies for once?"

The former raised her eyebrows as she gave an uneasy smile, a bit embarrassed.

"Yes, I understand dead rotting bodies are horrible, but trust me. You have seen far far worse."

There he went again with the past tense. If it continued any further, KOS-MOS swore she was going to...

"I'm in you too, just to remind you sir. And yes, I can read your thoughts. I wasn't designated SECOND just because it seemed cool at the time."

Taking note of Bardiche's slight agitated tone, she frowned. And promptly apologized, her eyelids half closed in shame and head bowed. The kneeling state of her body only served to make her appear more pitiful and the soft sunlight just beyond reach completed it.

It felt...oddly comforting as she waited with patience for Bardiche to speak.

The AI gave another sigh, more aimed at himself than anything. "No no. I should have calmed you down, since... you..." It trailed off, unable to finish out of remaining her of her painful wounds.

KOS-MOS only felt her emotions descend deeper, biting her lip as she too reflected upon just minutes ago. She needed to think straight, not panic at every single damn horrible thing she saw or heard. She knew from common sense it would get people killed and she hated that feeling more than anything else. To lose someone, she hated it. Absolutely.

She found herself unconsciously clenching a fist in anger. Surprised at her rash action, the girl uncurled her fist and gave a confused stare at her raised palm.

Just... why had she?

Shaking her head to clear her scattered thoughts, KOS-MOS took in a deep breath to calm down and stared straight ahead with her eyes set and a small frown gracing her lips.

It worked as her super sensitive hearing detected the sharp crack of gunshots. That wasn't good. Wasting not a moment, KOS-MOS easily cleared the ground she was on to grab a ledge and vault herself to upper floor. Taking off with a steady paced run, she barreled through two other wooden doors before seeing a sign which read "Exit".

The gunshots were ever closer.

Her free hand reached for the exit door and she accidentally pulled, only to rip the steel opening mechanism from it's hinges. Startled eyes gave a second blank stare at the crushed piece of metal in her left hand. Bardiche had not been joking about her.

Pushing the broken door open, she averted her eyes as real time sunlight hit her body for the first time, basking her in it's warming glow. The previous darkness which she found utterly creepy was now replaced by a comforting afternoon. As the discomfort subsided, KOS-MOS surveyed the area, trying to make sense of where she was. A fountain, some benches, lots of clean cut hedgerows, trees...

A park?

Wait, what was that in the foreground? Two people?

"Activating Hilbert Tactical Visor."

She suddenly found her left eye looking through tinted blue and in an instant, her relatively "normal" vision, if someone would call seeing out fine details a hundred meters away normal, lit up with an array of information. There was distance markers, wound assessments for her body overall "health", energy readouts, a minimap showing her current location. Even the small minute details such as the condition of current weather and atmospheric composition. Everything that a soldier of the future would want and more.

So caught up in her amazement was she never noticed her AI's voice until he had "physically" tapped her shoulder to bring her back to reality, at which she cutely stared off into space in the direction of the tap. It took around a second for her to realize Bardiche had notified her.

And it only took a millisecond for her to swivel her head as a close gunshot rang out.

Immediately acting upon instinct, her body crouched to make herself a smaller target, vision never left the general area of the park. A simple thought caused her vision to zoom in to two distant figures, the tactical visor doing it's job as intended. Now, she could clearly see two white uniformed men, evident by the guns in their hands. Another was there as well, but it looked as if he was kneeling?

KOS-MOS was no slouch, but the fact that she had a weapon and these guys had weapons caused a cold knot to form in the bottom pit of her stomach. The knot grew tighter as her systems now identified these men as "Hostile". Except for the one on his knees. She saw the arm of one soldier raise...

Maybe...she shouldn't have picked up that pistol.

A crack rang out as a bullet snuffed a life, spattering it all over the pavement.

xvx

A slight crackle as an electronic communications channel was opened up and brought to life, patching in a lone patrol to their leading officer somewhere else hundreds of miles away.

"This is Cobolt Two, I got nothing from these Recon forces here."

The next response was quite the hotblooded one.

"Nothing? You got nothing? What the HELL do you mean you got nothing?"

A white clad trooper shifted his body weight in nerve at the raging hatred of commander, despite it being delivered via comm channel. If the devil had a voice and was made military commander, the bitching voice nearly cracking the comm channel would qualify. Before he had a chance to explain the situation, the voice raged again.

"This bitch has killed about HALF of Cobolt section already! I ain't payin' you fools to die here! Now stay alert and keep watch! That tin fuck is coming, I can smell it."

An automatic crisp "Sir yes sir!".

The channel went dead halfway through, blind rage having gotten the better of the nasty voice. Which lead to the two troopers watching out for anything on patrol. But knowing these paramilitaries, they were soon to slack off. Less than three seconds in, they started to idle chat.

"God, they don't pay for me this shit. Why does the Commander have such a hard-on for this thing?"

"Dude, this nanorobot is dangerous stuff. You've heard what it can do." The second trooper. "Turn invisible, deploy armor, even use the famous X-Buster that Vector Industries android could do. Only a hundred times worse. I've even heard it could generate a concussion blast up to 20 tons of PSI. And that's the LEAST of it's power!"

The former soldier gave an annoyed grunt, not caring in the slightest, despite the facts which had been just told. "Pfft. What I heard is that Vector robot is dead as space. There's no way that another one can exist, let alone it being made by us. Hell, we've only begun to invent this shitty uncomfortable body armor we're wearing ri-"

A sound of weak struggling and a muffled precision F-strike.

"Hold it."

A gloved thumb flipped off the safety of the drab pistol and lifted to align the sights on a fallen man's head. Not a split second later, the pistol discharged and sent the victim's brain matter splattering all over the concrete park.

"Kay done," was the casual response.

xvx

What the fuck... Just... what?

Gloved hands fisted into loose locks of sky as her lost mind struggled to grasp what happened before her eyes. Had...had those two men just kill someone in cold blood?

No way this was happening. Not like this.

KOS-MOS slumped her exhausted body against the shattered brick wall of the building, her frantic mind trying to register what the hell had happened. She had just watched two full armor suited men casually execute what looked like a member of an official military force. What was worse was the fact they were hunting a super prototype down and apparently over-rode any actual military command, if the uniformed man she just saw getting killed was any indication. And the bodies she had encountered in the earlier rooms-

Oh god, the bodies...

The girl slammed the base of her skull to get the unpleasant images out, repeating a mental mantra to try and focus upon something else.

She took a gaze at the empty pistol in her grasp, the interface of her systems IDing it as "Magdalene-18". A nickname for this revolver perhaps? Trying to seek solace, her free hand swung out the cylinder to the side, the single empty shell casing still inside the chamber. Without a second thought, she removed it from the weapon by pinching it in between her fingers and was about to toss it when she realized something.

She didn't know what caliber Magdalene-18 was.

Placing the empty shell back into the revolver for now, she closed the lock back up and placed the weapon in her left hand, freeing her right. Now looking down at her own body for the time, KOS-MOS tried to look for another weapon she could use to defend herself.

She only found a small boot knife strapped to her ankle.

With a grim pout on her features, a gloved right hand tightened on the only weapon available to her, a light tug pulling it out of the sheath. Taking a quick look at the blade itself, the girl found it had a tapered point and a serrated edge on the top, made obviously to gut an enemy if needed. Upon it was not CryNet Systems, but a different logo. Two simple inverted commas arranged to circle in an infinite loop. Below it was simply the word "Vector".

Bardiche had mentioned before her original frame was created by Vector Industries.

_"KOS-MOS is the pride of Vector, you know Allen?"_

Voice? Again? Only...these voices-

_"Hahaha. Well, you did design her Chief."_

Chief? Why did that title feel so familiar to her? Was it something to do with her?

_"No no. I just simply had to reverse engineer her. I'm her co-creator. That's it."_

"Sir. Threat detected."

Shaking her head for the third time to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling, she took several deep breaths to calm her shot nerves down. And just as she started to calm down, KOS-MOS felt her body energy levels jolt and spike up in a flash, her entire being now acutely aware of her surroundings. She could clearly hear the ambient noise in the background behind her and even pick up the occasional chatter from those two soldiers on patrol. She blinked once and then twice to see her own vision light up with a diegetic heads up display, not too dissimilar to the visor's own, if only more simplified.

"Combat Mode, get set!"

With her body feeling much more lighter and faster in general, KOS-MOS turned her head to her left to take a peek at the patrol. She frowned as her hearing picked up faint radio chatter from the two of them. It was obvious they were not going to leave anytime soon.

"Tactical Options Available."

Well, so much for avoiding combat.

A yellow hexagonal marker labeled "1" had displayed itself on her under HUD, just in front of a massive shipping crate. Below that hexagon was a simple word. Resupply.

Taking a quick glance at her revolver, she silently prayed to any divine being that there would be ammunition for it.

With no further absent thoughts, KOS-MOS vaulted from the broken side wall to avoid detection and easily ran over to the huge shipping crate, ensuring she stayed out of view of the patrol. Crouching near a green box which had conveniently been already opened, her hurried gaze picked up four pistol magazines and five larger ones which were most likely meant for an assault rifle of some type. Within tenths of one second, her system had tagged all the available types with no luck. Trying to remember her weapon caliber, she brought the revolver to her vision to analyze it once more, this time succeeding with results.

50TactAE Compact?

KOS-MOS rummaged through the various ammunition types, finding nothing but small caliber pistol and rifle rounds. She tried once again only to no avail. The caliber type was not there. Her mouth let out a stressed non-existent huff of frustration as she once again lowered her left hand.

The gods hadn't answered her and her right hand tightened upon the rubberized grip of the boot knife.

Looks like she was going to have to use cold metal.

Bringing up the knife in front of her, she could see the sunlight glint off the dull drab grey parkerization on it. And on it, a blurry image of her eyes.

Red? Her irises were red?

KOS-MOS pushed the thought from her mind, needing to focus on her grim task. Skirting along the green bushes, she quickly jogged from cover to cover, making sure she was not in the line of sight of the two men. If they had killed a man in cold blood, then she was pretty sure they would also kill her if given the chance.

So she had to kill them first.

It felt somehow eerie to her, but her body and mind seemed to accept the fact this was natural. Almost... a way of life.

Pressing her back against the cool rough concrete of the fountain, she was only about five meters away from one of them. She took a quick glance and confirmed the other one had wandered off, a good twenty meters away. Focusing back upon the other threat, she crept up closer, confident they would not notice her presence. Just as she was about to spring up and plunge cold steel into flesh-

_"Have you no conscious at all, KOS-MOS?"_

She let out a small gasp at the sudden faraway voice in her head, knowing it was not her AI. For one, the voice was female. And two...

How had it known her nam-

"Shit! It's that tin fuck!"

Oh crap.

Cover blown, KOS-MOS did the only thing she could within five meters of her alerted enemy. She charged straight at him, knife pulled back to ready a strike. Her field of view blurred as she sprinted at maximum power, the full force of her charge now impacting upon both the enemy soldier and her as she now got a crash course upon an old scientist's Three Laws of Motion. Acting upon instinct, she deftly raised her right arm for a strike, to plunge the blade she held into a weak spot. Instead, she got a slight surprise as the soldier she had tackled quickly intercepted it and held her wrist in a strong grip, trying to pinch a nerve to force drop the knife from her grasp. She only tightened up, locking her muscles to prevent the loss of her weapon. Only realizing now she had the empty revolver in her other hand, did she come to the grim conclusion to use it as an improvised club.

Giving it a small flip, KOS-MOS reversed the weapon so that it's barrel was in her grasp and reared her arm back to give the soldier a heavy blow. The soldier gave out a small cry as the end of the grip struck across his temple, enough to crack the orange visor of the helmet he wore. His struggling and grip upon the girl's wrist weakened, just enough for her to-

A sharp pain erupted from her side, a heavy military boot impacting against her lower left ribs, enough for her diegetic interface to light up red and blur with static as it momentarily failed. A second immediate blow pushed her away from her target as she now realized the other soldier exploited her momentary fight with his comrade to flank her.

Her eyes widened in shock as she felt sudden impacts of pain slam into her chest, reverberating through out her body and forcing it to almost docile levels. Wanting to give a shout or anything to unmask her confusion and swimming screwed vision, she tried to make a half hearted attempt at a yell.

KOS-MOS only coughed up a concerning amount of red which she knew was blood.

Her own blood.

She barely heard Bardiche's own voice warn her that her health was critical.

"Warning: Health Critical! Please seek cover immediately! Base functions impaired; switching to core function mode. Life support priority. Warning!"

Dammit, she couldn't die like this! Not taken out by some two uniformed thugs who just shot a man in cold blood. No! That was just a disgrace to her...

She felt and saw the corners of her vision darken with a monochromatic red. The girl knew she was dying from the now barely accessed bullet wounds in her chest, vaguely knowing the rounds had struck her lungs and heart, shattering more than a few ribs in the process and maybe a flailed chest segment as well. She was sure they had tumbled and made a fine mess of her vitals too, which would definitely outright kill her slowly, if the shock did not get to her first.

Quiet. Everything was just so... quiet.

_"I know... we'll meet again."_

Never! She had too!

With a rage she never knew to exist inside her, her blurred tunnel vision saw iron sights line up with an equally blurry white mass, seeing double as her body and mind struggled against the fierce pain. Somehow, one of the men's rifles had ended up in her hands when the other one had pushed her off and put a good burst into her body. Vision spinning, hearing just about shot except for her own quickened irregular pulse, and her entire body feeling on fire, she let out a single breath.

It was enough.

Pulling the trigger, she felt her body vibrate as the rifle in her hands jumped. Just barely, she saw one of the blurs go down, body twitching as his now dead reflexes jerked the trigger on his own rifle, hitting the other soldier across the chest, splattering it with gunpowder and blood as the flesh underneath exploded.

A clatter of hardened composites resounded as the girl sunk to her knees, her short adrenalinal burst over, replaced by a feeling of dull throbbing pain inside her chest region. Her head bowed, hair obscuring most of her vision and the sun. Not like she could see, her perception still hurting beyond levels. Gritting her bloodied teeth against the pain, she dragged herself to sit up against the fountain barrier, opening her eyes to see the warming sun in a glorious morning. She halfheartedly struggled for breath in her shot up respiratory system, the powerful sprays of still running water dampening her tainted skin and cleansing it of the blood somewhat.

It felt nice.

So...very...nice...

"Wound assessment underway. Processing. Wound rate at 85 percent, combat effectiveness reduced to ten percent. Wounds will take up to twenty minutes to heal at current state. System sleep commencing. Rest well, Sir."

KOS-MOS gave a smile as she closed her eyes willingly, bidding Bardiche the same.

* * *

><p>Closing Notes: In the words of Forrest Gump, "You got shot." Lol. Well, I hope you've enjoyed read this part so far. And a special thanks to the person who faved my story, Strawberry. Now all I need is a signed review...somehow. As always please do review and critique if necessary.<p> 


	3. Stand By Ready

Commentary: Third chapter. Nothing else much more to say really, other than the fact it will pick up very soon.

Summary: Having seen the melted bodies from before and with an organization hunting her down, the angel knows she must do everything within her current power to evade capture and proceeds to find out what is happening in this world she inhabits.

* * *

><p><strong>Another Crisis<strong>

III: Stand by Ready

* * *

><p>"Primary Systems re-routed. Cleared to proceed, sir! Get set!"<p>

KOS-MOS slowly opened her eyes to see the sun set it's rays of light upon her face, painting her cheeks and forehead with a comforting warmth. A wee bit of luck had been bestowed on her, for the light had not directly contacted her eyes, being blocked out by a small tree from which the gaps seeping through had created a shade pattern on her. Her vision had caught the sight of the harbor she was in, her advanced systems telling her what make and model the abandoned landing craft adrift in the waters were, what the armaments had been in the flaming wrecks of the low profiled tanks just inches from the park steps. But she paid these no matter, simple trivial information to be stored away for later use. Rather, KOS-MOS focused upon the nature before her. The previously blue sky had been turned a drab grey, tainted by the smoke and fire of molten slag. While there was green trees and the like, they too had a sickly pale yellow to them, if the sun would ignite them any moment now. The burning coffins of the military vehicles added to the grim atmosphere. Lost in the sight, the girl absently stared off into the distance, her advanced hearing focusing on the waves crashing up against the concrete shore and the morning chirping of birds landing on their nests to sing their songs.

She turned her head to her left and could not help but smile.

The background behind her was still in it's untouched state, the sky blue beyond reach, the clouds a pure angelic white in all their fluffy and wispy states. The park behind her was completely untouched, save a ton of shipping crates and ammunition caches set up. And the gentle breeze her skin felt was cooling.

A dull pain in her chest suddenly cramped as she shifted to get a better view, leading her to glance down on her chest an-

The warmth of hot blood leaking from her body and mouth was felt all over again in a moment of agony as she remembered the supersonic cracks of rifle reports. The scuffle of an equal fight to destroy a hostile threat and the overconfidence shattered in one moment as a long past voice echoed in her lost mind. And the vague weak comfort she had felt when her body was dying, every single one of her systems gone critical in one short burst. It had been heavy, heavy enough for her to rest her eyes and will herself for a short sleep.

Gloved hands rubbed her throat in small circles, giving her a small comfort as she calmed herself from the way too frequent mind screws.

Shit, she needed to stop zoning out.

Taking a passing look to her flanks to ensure no immediate threat was there, other than the recently deceased bodies which were starting to attract flies. Seeing none so far, she remembered her recent wounds from a few moments ago. KOS-MOS looked down to let her hyper advanced systems assess her wounds which she was sure were fatal.

"_Systems OK_" was the diagnostic.

To be sure the AI inside her and the advanced OS she essentially was had not lied, her physical hands gently grasped at her chest, pressing gently to feel for any fractured bones or internal trauma. Finding none, she proceeded to pick herself up from the sitting position she was in, the fountain barrier gone ice cold and a discomfort to her much exposed back. Brushing loose tussled hair from the edges of her perception, she gave a small sigh as chills and warmth radiated through out her insides, the effect of her physical body rebooting itself. Once more the diegetic HUD had returned to her previously clear vision, reinforcing the fact she was not human.

"Sir," inquired her AI, "Are you alright?"

KOS-MOS merely gave a nod in response, a part of her a bit angry but mostly uncomfortably tired after her near death experience. Right now, she needed to clean the blood and gunpowder remnants streaking across her face and chest.

_"...external appearance is down five percent... need to be cleaned..."_

The girl pushed the echoing voice away from the front of her thoughts as her hands cupped together and lowered into the fountain before her. The water gave her a slight icy chill centered in the very bones of her hands as she submerged them. Knowing she had to steel against the sudden cold, KOS-MOS took a slight intake of oxygen in as she focused and strengthened her core to neutalize against the ice she was about to splash upon her sensitive areas.

Hands covered her face as the water hit her skin, an instant prickling sensation felt and replaced by a sudden gentle warmth, as if another person's hands had helped her somehow. The girl knew it was most likely her internal temperature system adjusting to the freezing cold, but she simply could not help but think if something, or rather someone, was helping her.

Maybe... just maybe...

Finishing with her self cleaning and freeing her body of the dead blood and specks of gunpowder having previously marred her appearance, she glanced into the fountain water to see her own slightly bloodied reflection.

Whoever had originally designed her and then rebuilt her sure made her a highly visible target in the battlefield. That and she was extremely pretty. Borderline angel just about, if the advanced head gear and bodysuit she wore did not scream the fact she was essentially a nanobot super soldier. No wonder the two soldiers from before had tried to kill her with extreme prejudice. The CryNet Systems logo upon her headgear, most likely the Tactical Visor, only reinforced the mis-representation she was a recently escaped Project to be terminated at all costs.

Great, just another perfect thing to deal with. Lost memories and now a bunch of paramilitary goons trying to actively kill her. And even if she could have talked...

Eyes drifted toward the single soldier she had killed in a desperate second chance rage.

Briefly, just briefly, KOS-MOS wondered if she should feel guilty or not.

The feeling was crushed as soon as her eyes drifted to the executed man beside the dead paramilitaries. KOS-MOS was sure these people would not stop at their objective to kill. Not even if they died in the thousands. Not even if they had to resort to "culling" civilians and other military personnel to do it. Not even if all of them were in a panic and trying to actively retreat. No. She had overheard their chatter. Contempt. Hatred. Bordering on complete obsession and insanity.

There was no way she would die.

"Sir." Bardiche again. "We should go."

KOS-MOS gave another affirmative nod and picked up the slightly bloodied assault rifle she had dropped earlier. As soon as she touched it, her sensors identified it as Mark 21 Assault Carbine. She coolly noted of it's average performance, as to be expected of a compact mid range kinetic energy weapon. Replacing the empty magazine with a fresh one she picked up from a nearby ammo crate, her gloved fingers curled around the charging handle and pulled to send a bullet home into the chamber.

She was ready.

xvx

Bardiche had known they had almost died.

That single burst was enough to shatter his partner's already weakened body to breaking point. It had taken almost all of his power to keep her alive, continuously injecting her with adrenaline and nanites, to keep the sheer shock and pain from outright killing her. In his slight panic to keep alive, he had just about overdosed the girl on the artificial drugs and injected a sedative immediately after to keep her body systems stabilized. It had been a frightening cocktail of guaranteed lethal injection, something which should have killed her under normal circumstances.

Reviewing over her entire body status, Bardiche wondered if he would have to resort to locks he had been granted in case something went wrong. It was bad enough that KOS-MOS had to relearn everything she had previously, but for her to be unable to talk and her physical body unable to take a single rifle burst...

It had been a nasty wake up call to the sentient AI, who previously had expressed a proud air of confidence.

Now, he wasn't too sure about that confidence. He knew his words was of little comfort to the girl, who had been so broken before by loss after loss. Only the silent bible and song had provided her a sad comfort of what seemed like ages ago.

Bardiche reflected back upon those days...

xvx

KOS-MOS felt her body be stopped by her AI when she was right upon the doorway. Tilting her head to express why she had been stopped, Bardiche quietly informed her there was an enemy soldier about to walk into her line of sight. At this, KOS-MOS quickly raised the rifle to brace against her shoulder, her vision lining up with the iron sights of the weapon. Ready to engage.

"Cloak Engaged."

KOS-MOS saw her entire body light up with reflective hexagons and assume the pattern of a translucent prism, effectively turning her body mostly invisible to the naked eye. A little shocked at the sudden "loss" of her color and solidness, the girl gave the rifle in her hands a squeeze to see if she was still physical and not of another realm. Not entirely convinced, she experimentally placed a hand to her abdomen and gave a soft press.

Still solid.

Her eyes refocused to see one of the white clad paramilitary men directly in front of her. She stiffened considerably at the sight, aware that the man's eyes were most likely seeing her. Or rather, right through her like a cloud cuckoo lander. In fact, the man just simply gave a lame grunt of confusion and walked off a few moments later.

"Cloak provides temporary invisibility to avoid detection and infiltrate enemy positions."

Well, that much was obvious when the soldier hadn't seen her.

KOS-MOS was then aware of a segmented bar in the lower right corner of her vision slowly drain. She took a single step and furrowed her eyebrows when the bar went down by one segment. A number percentage drained the previous eighty-five to a concerning eighty.

"Movement while cloaked rapidly drains energy."

She took another step and found another five percent gone, eaten up by the cloak processes gearing her body into complete silence. How it made her entire body invisible to the naked eye, much less actually dampen the sounds coming from her, threatened to explosive overclock her still dumbstruck mind.

"Nanites," was Bardiche's simple explanation.

Oh, that explained a lot.

The girl nodded in silent agreement before switching to her boot knife, the steps she took completely silent in comparison to the shifting and slight thuds of the paramilitaries just beyond the corner. Rounding the doorway, she was met the exposed back of the soldier who had almost spotted her earlier before. The girl silently contemplated on what to do before the helpful AI in her head notified her that her target was now slightly aware of a distortion in the room. Okay, so she wasn't completely invisible, but then again it would have broken all the rules if she was. Somehow, KOS-MOS was pretty sure she was breaking a rule somewhere.

The choked cry of one dead man later and the snap of holo tag chains breaking as a knife hand yanked it away from the neck later, KOS-MOS quit thinking and caught the man with her free arm, supporting the dead weight via her chest and outstretched arm under the body's shoulder. She gently laid the body down and out of a strange feeling of respect, snapped one of the holo tags off and placed it near the open wound of the man's chest she had recently killed. The girl brought up her boot knife to her eyes, blade now stained in a heavy thick crimson.

Her first intentional kill and yet she didn't feel any shock or remorse from this. Deciding it would be detrimental to her mental health if she thought about it any further, KOS-MOS wiped down the bloodied blade on the dead man's pant legs before sheathing it back in her boot. Gloved hands reached for the rifle she had previously set to the side, the carbine itself somehow attached to one of the hip armor panels she had. Just another odd thing to worry about later. Quietly, her hands lifted her body over the table, vaulting over it without so much as a creak. Just as her boots impacted the floor, she physically felt her body come into existence again as the cloak ran out of energy reserves.

Naturally, at this, KOS-MOS felt a little vulnerable, having pressed herself right up against the conveniently located steel barrier, out of view of the other two soldiers she just now heard. As she waited for her weakened energy reserves to charge back up to maximum, her acute hearing eavesdropped on the two mens' conversation.

"What I wanna know is why Randall has such a raging hatred-boner for this girl. It's not like we have other shit to worry about."

"Haven't you heard? That android is a major bio-hazard, man. It just keeps running around, spreading that virus. Hell, maybe it even triggered the whole outbreak in the first place."

Outbreak? Virus? Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, KOS-MOS' scattered mind was assaulted with the horrible images of the melted rotting bodies in the warehouse she had woken up in and escaped from. Her systems had previously analyzed the composition of the melted bodies and had drawn inconclusive, having simply come up with a red colored "unknown" all across her board. There was simply no way that she of all people would be spreading a viral outbreak, much less trigger it via applied nanites or plague. She was an android made out of artificial flesh, blood, and nanites. Androids could never get sick. So how could she be a carrier?

"I don't buy it. This shit is personal."

Yeah, if the two other men having almost killed her didn't ring a bell.

"Way I heard it, Randall had a brother in the original Project and something went wrong. They say the android went crazy, killed a whole bunch of the Vector staff and Randall's brother was one of them. It fragged him."

Crazy? Just... what? Vector? Why was her original manufacturer involved?

"Nah, you heard wrong. Randall was against the whole android program from the get-go. Never trusted it, always said it'd go bad. Randall told the Vector Board to can it a decade ago, but they never listened."

"I'd say he'd called that about right."

Her vision decided to play loose screws with her as it warped, static and prismed colors distorting her perception and threatening to give her a massive headache and near-sightedness for a good while. Images of violence played out in her mind, violence which she did not recognize nor feel. The face of a person screaming in fear. More high pitched screams of utter fear and pitiful whimpers as darkness consumed her. A faint splat which she recognized as fluid splattering all over a hard surface. Blood which was not her own splashed all over her perception. Having enough of this, KOS-MOS fisted her hands and knocked them against her forehead repeatedly, to get rid of these horrible visions. She opened her eyes to see if this was some kind of messed nightmare, but what she saw was far worse.

Blood. Staining her hands, her arms, her chest. All over her body an- Her hair was grey now? What happened to the azure color? Her vision glanced down; finding her entire body shackled with locks and nearly naked, her limb joints having gaps in them. Twisted whirring screeches were issuing from her body now, like some fucked display of a puppet. Without her own volition, her gaze shot to a single person standing in front of her, trembling and afraid, crying even. The storm and darkness, the torrential rains made it difficult to see. A flash of lightning illuminated her sensors for a little bit.

The muzzle of a pistol was pointed directly at her.

_"KOS-MOOOOSSS!"_

She heard the sharp crack and knew n-

KOS-MOS gasped heavily as her vision swam in and out of it's self induced tunnel, the effects of blur turning her world upside-down. As soon as her vision returned to normal levels, her eyes darted to her own hands and body, to see if anything had happened. Nothing. No blood. The black gloves on her were still present, as was much of the white and blue themed dress and high boots. Fingers pressed against her skin and rubbed her joints, finding it supple and soft, no open gaps in them.

She was human.

The girl leaned heavily against the barrier, sighing deeply as she hung her head. A cold icy chill ran up her spine as she involuntarily shivered, the horrible vision just returning to her for half a second. Biting her lower lip to suppress the insanity, KOS-MOS closed her eyes in bitter frustration. This was the second time these messed up visions had affected her and this particular one had spiked her anxiety levels considerably. Especially since this one had felt all too real. Or rather, the lack of feeling. Inside, her emotions had screamed at her to stop and more or less couldn't believe what was happening. But another part of her literally felt nothing at all. And that person... why had that voice called her name?

What was happening to her?

Having too many scattered thoughts all at once, KOS-MOS requested Bardiche to slightly sedate her. The AI inside the girl complied immediately, creating a warming presence on her shoulders to offer a bit of extra support. Her mind feeling a wee bit hazy and relaxed for a few moments, KOS-MOS gave a moan as the sedative warmed her cold body back up to normal levels. She took a few slow breaths, opened her eyes to see the soft lights of her diegetic HUD recharge back up, and felt her body equalize itself to normal.

Time to get to work.

Engaging the cloak again to turn invisible, she took no chances as she popped out rapidly behind cover, exposing her head as she glared down the carbine's iron sights, the only visible parts being the cyan colored ticks on the sights to assist aim in low level light. Not that she really needed it anyways. She noted two men, in close proximity of each other. Both wore the standard white uniform with ballistic vest, with affixed ammunition and tags.

"You know how many of Maroon section this Mary took out downtown?"

Mary? What? That was not her-

A memory filled her mind of dusty streets, thriving marketplaces, and the ever present sun. She saw silver locks, intermingled with black ones. Heard voices of preach and rumors, giggles of mirth. But just as it had come to her, it was gone.

Wha...

"Thing's gone completely rampant. I'm looking for some major payback here."

Her mind immediately remembered the pain that single burst had rendered her almost a corpse to be counted along with the rest of the dead bodies. If it hadn't been her advanced nanosystems... Giving a small grim pout, KOS-MOS lined up the luminated cyan sights to the closest soldier's head, already seeing the spray of crimson she was about to deliver.

"Got that right."

Without hesitance, she immediately fired a single shot and was rewarded with the base of the white helmet spraying out red lifeblood from the tiny hole made. The man never gave out a single sound as his body crumpled, dead before he even hit the ground. Shocked at seeing his buddy dead, the other soldier gave out a professional string of curses before seeing where the shot had come from. Composed, KOS-MOS shifted her point of aim to the other soldier, slightly aware that her cloak had suddenly malfunctioned and thus, her physical body was visible. The latter gave out a shout and raised his own rifle, but was dead even before he had a chance to pull the trigger, chest perforated with multiple bullets of a burst from KOS-MOS. The cracks of the gunshots slowly ebbed away as the girl waited patiently for any one of the men she had felled to move. Approximately three seconds later, KOS-MOS vaulted from her cover and walked over to the dead men, keeping the rifle trained upon their fallen bodies just in case. She gave a slight tap from her armored boots to elicit a response; upon seeing none, she dropped her aim as her integrated AI gave the all clear. Taking a passing glance at the dead bodies and hearing a slight whirring noise as the energy bar upon her lower right corner refilled back up, the first thing she questioned was why had her cloak spluttered out, to which Bardiche explained-

"You can not fire while cloaked, sir. The way your cloak system is built disallows any noise to be sent and received. Most of your cloak is actually spent suppressing any residual noise you make while moving, this includes any strenuous action such as sprinting. Not only does your cloak provide you invisibility, it also dampens ambient noise in the very field you move in, at the cost of massive energy reserves."

The blue haired girl furrowed her eyes in slight frustration, a bit disappointed at this. She clearly hadn't expected her systems to be that energy consuming for her cloak. If anything, she expected it to last a long time since she was clearly so advanced. Just about borderline magica, if Bardiche's claims were to be believed. A complete hybrid mixture of computerized scientific digital processes and human like flesh and blood. It was virtually impossible to recreate another body from scratch, much less the AI she was partnered with. And due to that advancedness, her mind concluded, her original creators, whoever they had been, never truly understood her.

_"KOS-MOS has many black boxes that even Kevin doesn't understand."_

_"I wish we could have recreated you out of the kindness of our hearts, but..."_

_"You're the most advanced being in the entire universe. A physical god..."_

_"After all this time I finally meet the real you..."_

KOS-MOS placed a gloved palm upon her forehead, unable to stop herself from sighing in a somber pain. Just why were these voices familiar to her? Had she once been friends with these voices, whomever they had belonged to? And even if she had been, why... why did it hurt her so much? It was just about unbearable, causing her to almost be driven insane. It bothered her immensely, these memories which she seemed to experience at almost the physical level, giving her untold amounts of pain.

Her AI, Bardiche, made himself know to her as he replicated a warmth upon her neck, imitating a friend's comforting arm around her neck. Without even thinking, KOS-MOS reciprocated the action in kind by gently slipping her fingers where the hand would have been located, giving a thankful squeeze.

"Your welcome, M- Ah."

Confused, KOS-MOS raised an eyebrow at the slip in Bardiche's speech.

"Master," he immediately corrected.

Giving a sly smile at her AI, she found it rather amusing that he could just about study enemy patterns and their movements and weaknesses, giving her vital logistics information to help her survive... and when it came to emotional moments such as these, he would slip up and fall flat.

If she hadn't been a super advanced human and he a mere vocal Intelligent Device in her head, maybe...

"Sir, there are hostile forces closing in on our position, 300 yards. It would be best to move ASAP."

With the commanding tone of her AI and a renewed resolve, KOS-MOS quickly dropped the part empty magazine of her carbine, taking a fully loaded fresh one from one of the dead men's rifle housing. Noting that she hadn't even taken a few spare magazines, the girl set her weapon down to unclip one of the black pouches from the body of soldier she had felled with a clean headshot and opened the flap to see already spent empty mags. A dump pouch. Unfazed, she placed her free hand upon the dead man's shoulder and turned over the body to check for any ammunition. She saw numerous fuzzy strips upon the body armor for attachments, some shotgun shells, an ID card titled "CryNet Systems", and a patch that simply said "C.E.L.L."

C.E.L.L.?

She felt compelled to ask Bardiche, but squelched the thought as she heard the squeal of car tires burning against the road. No more time. KOS-MOS quickly acted as her hands snatched up the pouch, dumping it of it's spent magazines as she slid over to the other dead man, the blood on him much more spread out and splattered. Thankfully, he had died face up, so that saved the trouble of getting bloodier hands. She only found one magazine on his person, in addition to the rifle still in his cold dead hands. Fingers pushed the magazine release, taking the full mag in a single action as her hand stuffed it into the dump pouch. That brought her total up to three magazines, with forty rounds each. Still not enough. KOS-MOS glanced around to seek another potential weapon, spying only a pistol upon the table. Walking over to it, she picked it up, thumbing the safety off and pulling the slide back full before letting it go to hear a sharp clack.

Her sensors identified it as a "PM Makarov", the slim small frame easily fitting into her hand comfortably. Oddly, it had not looked like the other pistols she had seen on the paramilitaries. Perhaps this was a private purchased one? Plus, the shape of it looked oddly familiar to her.

She vaguely recalled someone chiding a "gunslinger and his Makarovs". Shaking the thought away for now, KOS-MOS shifted through the nearby ammo crate and found two more magazines and a black sling. She took one look at the dump pouch lying on the table and without any hesitation, affixed the sling clip ends to the D rings on the back end of the pouch, making an impromptu bag. Bringing up her free arm to sling it over her chest, she also placed the Makarov inside the bag for now, walking over to the rifle she had set down earlier and picked it back up. Curled fingers pulled the bolt handle back slightly to check for a round and once done, her left hand placed itself on the forward grip again.

Glancing around for an exit, she found a shipping crate up against the partially crumbled structure of the fortress, just enough for her to reach. KOS-MOS took a few steps back, sprinted to build up inertia, and jumped in a single bound.

She underestimated her strength and found herself to have jumped over the structure of the fortress with absolute ease, her body now in free fall as a temporary weightlessness had been bestowed. With a grace that rivaled any le parkour runner, KOS-MOS landed perfectly upon impact, the shock evenly distributed throughout her left knee and supported by her free hand. A bit surprised at the action, her eyes gave a casting glance to the barrier she had jumped over, to find it over twenty meters tall.

That had been...easy.

Focusing her view forward, she saw a white and grey palette jeep pull up against the stone steps to the fortress she had just escaped from. Knowing what she had to do, her body turned invisible again as it reflected the features of the outside world. Once again taking no chance, her body slid toward the well placed steel plate barrier and pressed against it, her hands holding the carbine to be readied at a moment's notice. Deciding it would be safe for a bit, KOS-MOS leaned her head over the top to peek out at unaware threats. The first thing she noticed was there were three soldiers this time, two of them in the typical white uniform she had seen before. The last one was disembarking the jeep and had a different style of dress, slate black and a bit more tougher looking than the other two men.

KOS-MOS let out a breath she had been holding unconsciously in relief as the jeep pulled away from the fortress. Good, she could somewhat rest easy now that this was only three men. Her eyes continued to observe their behavior as she listened in their conversation.

"Search and sweep the entire area for Mary! Last transmission was from the castle, so assume she's close!"

The two other men gave crisp replies of "Yes sir" before one of them took point. They fell in line, one right behind the other.

Could these guys have been any dumber?

She immediately uncloaked just as she set her sights upon the head of the point man and opened fire.

xvx

Sighing in massive agitation, MOMO Mizrahi quietly set down the stubborn holo-panel she had been trying to fix for the past hour. The lingering thoughts of her old friend had really never left her mind and for an unexplained reason, it bothered her deeply. The Realian requested a short respite from the constant fixings of the Dammerung's wiring about five minutes ago, seeking approval from her mother before-

A holo screen appeared before her, the image of her mother, Juli Mizrahi, projected on the screen. The elder woman gave a sly smile at her daughter's current and exhausted frustrated features. "How's my lovely daughter doing?"

MOMO could not help but smile, despite her exhaustion. "Other than the holo screens on the fritz, I'm alright."

"Oh?" Juli gave a slight chuckle, teasing, "The sweat on your forehead doesn't seem to agree."

A shout from the background was heard, shortly followed by a crash.

"And neither does Miyuki."

Using the time honed call that all relationships used, MOMO found herself calling Juli's title in embarrassment. "Mom!" And a little grasp at the beret she always wore simply reinforced the childish, but cute action.

Juli Mizrahi laughed despite her usual seriousness most times, her daughter giving a soft smile as she blushed. "Alright, how about we get some lunch together?"

MOMO nodded eagerly at the offer, giving a hum of approval.

The holoscreen shut off as Juli terminated the transmission. With a meeting set, MOMO prepared to head off and meet with her mother at the mess hall of the vast Dammerung.

A force pulled at her arm and tightened, causing her to look back.

Oh.

Gingerly, she began to unwrap the mass circuits which had somehow been tangled on her by a mischieving Miyuki. Taking about a good five minutes to free her arm, MOMO left her post to catch up on much needed rest and a nice relaxing lunch with her mother.

However, a Mizrahi never relaxed.

xvx

KOS-MOS ground her teeth as a bullet grazed her arm, scraping the skin and painting droplets of blood on her cheek. Her super sensitive hearing picked up the supersonic crack of gunfire screaming past her barely exposed head, puffs of sand exploding as high velocity small caliber rounds impacted against the stacked sandbags her body was leaned against. As the burst died down, she took the split second lull to return fire with her own weapon, raising the rifle so only her hands were exposed to blindfire a calculated five round burst. Hoping on a feeling she had adequately suppressed the men shooting at her, the girl leaned out to expose her head and shoulders to get a clearer view, bracing the rifle against her shoulder as she returned fire in short bursts. The noise from the rapid shots alone deafened her ears and it did not help at all she could sense every single moment in this clusterfuck, all blurred into a single noise of pure insanity. The girl reflexively ducked down again as a grenade exploded a few meters in front of her, spraying her exposed head with bits of scorched earth and fragments. She hissed a bit as a fragment grazed her neck somehow, painting even more crimson upon her angelic appearance. But the pain meant nothing compared to her internal self right now, her brain running so many calculations and algorithms all at once to ensure her best probability of survival.

She had to hand it to them, these guys were good.

KOS-MOS reloaded the carbine mid-magazine as her current one ran close to empty. It was her last magazine, having spent the others in a furious firefight to take out half of the combined forces in this forsaken outpost. Not to mention the further reinforcements which had inexplicably charged in within seconds. Her hands raised up and blindfired again, then she repeated the same movements she had with previously, a seeing a distant figure go down as the dust exploded in puffs around it. Still firing the last rounds, her left hand released the rifle foregrip as it dipped down and withdrew the Makarov pistol from the bag she wore. A gloved hand thumbed the safety off as she reared it to her perception. Then the rifle cracks cut off as the last round exited the chamber. The girl's right hand dropped the useless weapon as her left hand centered the tiny pistol to the middle of her vision. In one smooth motion, KOS-MOS' right hand pulled back the slide to chamber a round in and cupped her left fingers as her index finger pulled the trigger. The last remaining CELL paramilitary fell, his body crashing against the steps as he took a nine millimeter round to the chest. Not wanting to take a second like last time, KOS-MOS vaulted herself over the sandbags to drop eight feet to the dying body and instantly put two additional rounds into the head, delivering a double coup de grace.

Bardiche signaled the all clear.

KOS-MOS gave a disgusted gasp not a second later, her mind still on alert but slowly waning as it regulated back to normal. Her body on the other side of the fence... She was sure it was a mess. Waltzing in to engage in a heated firefight was not exactly a clean job. Much less twenty against one. Her mouth visibly parted as she took heavy deep breaths, struggling to intake air as her muscles burned from the overdose of constant adrenalin having been pumped into her body by perhaps an overly concerned Bardiche. Her entire frame shaking, she placed her hand against the bullet ridden wall of the building, her legs now slowly willing her very being forward, a single step at a time. Red irises averted the same color pooling upon the dirt, her head raised up to gaze straight ahead to her objective.

She felt a sickening warmth underneathe her boot, but tried to pay it no mind as she simply forced herself ahead. Eventually, she reached her objective, a coded panel which simply needed a press of a button. Seeing it in the green, a finger pressed the enter button, an exhausted shocked mind wearily expecting it to clear. An instant later, KOS-MOS received the red message of failure as the panel locked itself, thus preventing her from accessing the route.

Her face contorted in rage, a gloved fist slammed into the panel, caving most of the reinforced steel in as hundreds of kilos PSI buckled it like tin. Her heavy panting resumed as her body started to burn again, muscles aching and throbbing in utter crazed frenzy as she momentarily lost it. Why wasn't anything going right for her this once?

Furrowing her eyebrows in agitation, she forced her shot nerves to relax and calm down to docile levels. She had to think clearly to get herself out of this pinch or else she would be walking the earth in a circle for a good ten years or more. Turning her head from side to side, KOS-MOS focused her vision to scope out any critical routes. She soon found one to her right, about fifty meters away. Desperate to escape this crazy place of constructed concrete walls and PMC mercenaries, the girl sprinted as fast as she could toward her destination, the marked distance of fifty meters dropping to twenty five as she closed the gap within seconds. She noted a single half contorted blur which she was sure was one of the CELL operators casually walking into her view, her response raising the Makarov in the general direction of the man and expending the last remaining five bullets. She didn't care if she killed the man or not. As she heard the pistol slide lock back, it was her cue to slightly slow down as she gathered her remaining strength in her legs. KOS-MOS pushed off with her right foot as her body defied gravity for a few moments, jumping well over concrete wall which partly blocked the way and clearing it easily as her gaze stared in slight shock at the shrinking earth before her. It regrew back to normality as her body fell from the sky, gravity demanding it be obeyed. She hit the ground running without so much as a thud, her destination now right beside her. Reacting upon instinct, KOS-MOS reversed her momentum as she turned her body, boot soles catching dirt and slipping slightly, but only suffering a slight loss in speed as she entered through the door in the wall. It finally took a loss of sunlight and the splash of water under her heels to stop her le parkour feat, her body slamming itself upon a makeshift shower cage as she supported her dead weight.

Bardiche gave an impressed whistle.

"You still have it."

KOS-MOS gave a triumphant grin through her panting.

xvx

Juli Mizrahi hummed slowly as she took a sip of the jasmine tea, served up by the Dammerung's mess hall. The soothing warmth of the beverage radiated throughout her stressed mind and body, calming her shot nerves with a hint of flowers.

Normally, she would have preferred coffee, but the fact she was to have lunch with her daughter meant she had to be formal. Speaking of daughters...

The clack of a tray setting down next to her announced a presence.

"Sorry I'm late mom."

Juli Mizrahi smiled to forgive the girl. "And here I was hoping to take this tea all to my lonesomes, but..."

The slide of a teacup next to a stainless pot and the familiar swish of a pour.

"I suppose sharing is much better, especially if it's with family."

Both mother and daughter gave smiles to each other as they sat down to have a pleasant lunch for the first time in months. Life aboard the Dammerung was a hectic constant affair and as a result, both had not been able to see each other for weeks. Shifting schedules and times made relaxation incredibly difficult for the both of them. Especially since the holo-net was nearing fixation.

"You came to investigate, MOMO?"

But both knew there would be something deeper beyond the horizon. Juli and MOMO both had seen the advertisements of the new system and it simply did not sit right with them both. God only knew how the other Vector and Scientia members were feeling.

But all that was neither here nor there.

"Yes but please, let's have lunch first mom."

Seeking respite, for only for a few precious moments., both mother and daughter prepared to spend family time with each other.

xvx

KOS-MOS winced as she plunged her knife into the last soldier's heart, feeling the flesh rupture and bleed as the blade ripped an easy path out to expose the flesh to the elements. She gave a twist and the soldier fell limp in her grasp, dead within seconds. Gently setting the body down upon the grated floor of the decontamination tube, she methodically reached for the dead man's holo tags and pulled the necklace off, snapping off one tag and setting it on the dead man's chest while placing the remaining one in her makeshift satchel. Cleaning the knife off with a wipe down upon the uniform of the dead operator, the girl finally sheathed her blade and stood up to move forward once again. She scanned her surroundings to make sense of where she was now. All she saw however, was the hangar-like room she was in, a post of some sort, and giant metal blast doors which she was sure she could never force open with her maximum strength.

Her AI reassured her there was a control switch she could operate to open the doors.

With that in mind, it did not take long for her to find a panel and press the automated controls to activate the sequence. There was a slight whine of a power-up and lights flickering for moments, before fully turning on at full power. Feeling a bit insecure without a mainstay weapon to protect her, KOS-MOS reached for the carbine on the desk. An eerie disembodied female computer voice spoke in a calming monotone.

"Decontamination sequence active. Please stand by."

KOS-MOS waited as the hangar sprayed water all over the ground floor and the walls as well, blasting a torrent of air as the sequence continued it's-

The lights and power immediately shut down, purging the girl in complete darkness. Not a second later, the familiar whine and orange revolving lights of an alarm was witnessed.

"Warning. Foreign contaminant detected. Lockdown initated."

KOS-MOS bit her lower lip in irritation, furrowing her eyes in a glaring pout to nobody at all. Great, just great. A lockdown she was sure to never get out of. How much better could this get?

Bardiche simply told her to force open the blast doors.

Oh...

Without a choice or say in the matter, KOS-MOS simply walked toward the massive blast doors and peered at the tiny ray of light leaking through the miniscle gap. The girl absently stared at her right hand, letting it loosely open as she contemplated her situation. These huge blast doors... there wasn't a chance in hell she was going to open them. Just for a moment, her mind and body fell into a deep despair as it started to accept the fact this task was just...

_"...Become her...become KOS-MOS..."_

The girl whirled her head around to find the source of the voice but her sensors indicated nothing out of the ordinary, besides the alarm which was now nothing but a tinned out background ambient to her. Briefly, she wondered if the voice was so familiar to her, it had...given her some comfort. It obviously had known her name, but beyond that, she just... it had felt soothing.

Had she been a friend to that voice in a past life...?

She turned her head around back to the ray of light just beyond her reach, took another glance at her open hand.

Clenched it.

Slinging the rifle loosely against her left side and letting it hang, KOS-MOS reared back and jammed her left hand into the crack, which to her surprise, gave way easily under her strength. Feeling more confident, she opened her right hand and placed it above her left hand, creating a leverage against the doors. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, KOS-MOS tensed her muscles and stabilized her position.

Time to be badass.

With all her might, she pulled against the insane heavy weight of the doors with the addition of locked system reinforcing the ground so that nothing short of a tank could hurt it. But the light had grown stronger, more blinding and so had her resolve. Forcing more output into her now burning body, KOS-MOS barely heard the groan of strained metal as it slowly gave way to a strength she never knew. All she could see and feel was the burn of her entire body as a blazing warmth threatened to overload her and the former tiny ray of light transform into a blinding flash. Averting her eyes, she yanked with one last force and knew something had given when a sharp grating was heard. A shadow had cast over her vision and the light slowly died down...

Her eyes widened in shock as she now breathed fresh air and saw the length of skyscrapers in the distance. Her arm had risen to protect her super sensitive eyes from the overload and she now lowered it as her head turned to take in her surroundings. It looked like when she had turned her head to her left when she had woken up. The sky untouched and clouds in a wispy state. She looked beyond and saw abandoned cars parked just meters away from her position.

And heard the bustle of civilization in the distance.

Dropping the carbine from her shoulder, KOS-MOS walked forward slowly to ensure this wasn't a dream of some sorts. That she was living and not having a dying dream. Her head turned from side to side to scan further. She picked up a bookstore, a cafe, an apartment building, a convenience store, a gift shop. There was even something called "Night XXX Club" next to all of the seemingly normal ones. She turned her view back to the skyscrapers and couldn't help but stare in wonder.

A city.

She picked up a street post and gazed for a few seconds, taking note of the colorful cheery palette of green, sky blue, and yellow. She stared upon the happy characters drawn to welcome any incoming travelers with a smile. Below it were words she read to herself.

Welcome to Mitakihara?

The faint rumble of several vehicles and men shouting caught her sudden attention. Alert and active, KOS-MOS silently requested her AI to seek an escape option. Not two seconds later, Bardiche had marked a location fifty meters away.

The wall.

KOS-MOS stared ahead to the military grade barrier blocking her path to escape.

She gave a smirk... and started her sprint.

Running smoothly past the still cars and vaulting over one easily, the girl put in a burst of speed as she took an extra leap and force jumped on top of a taxi, crumpling the roof with her weight, but propelling her body high into the air and just at the line of the barbed wire of the concrete wall.

KOS-MOS cleared it within inches and crash rolled upon impact with the road, crushing the black hardened tar like fragile glass with her reinforced body and momentum as all twenty tons was focused upon an area no bigger than the size of her waist. She continued to sprint at maximum speed as the faint military radio chatter and the curses of a person wanting her dead faded away into an afterthought. Her vision blurred as she kept sprinting, avoiding even more abandoned cars and military road blocks. Soon, her body burned even hotter than before, almost raging to be unleashed, begging her inner self to be freed. It felt exhilarating, ecstatic almost.

Bardiche forced her body to stop as he injected sedatives into her, causing her to almost loose balance as her legs slowed down. The female almost tripped and fell, but managed to maintain a rhythm of pace as she skidded to a halt. Taking a moment to calm down and breathe, KOS-MOS finally gave herself a moment to look back behind her shoulder.

She noted she had sprinted about one hundred fifty meters within five seconds. Well out of view of the contractors trying to kill her. And well into the view of normal civilians trying to live their daily lives, a few pointing and speaking in hushed whispers about how she had suddenly appeared like a runner and some even noticing how "excellent of a cosplayer" she looked.

Giving one final wary glance around to scan for any threats, KOS-MOS adjusted the satchel slung across her chest and walked off toward the bustle of the city just out of reach. Soon, the nanomachined human had reached a busy sidewalk with people milling about and easily slipped into the crowd, disappearing from sight.

She was free.

* * *

><p>Closing Notes: Hope you have enjoyed chapter three and I'm sorry I couldn't get much of Juli and MOMO together, as I don't know their personalities as much as a post X-III KOS-MOS. Now this will be where the story will diverge into it's more original plot I have planned for it. Sit back and relax as you enjoy the ride.<p> 


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